The retrainable, comparative gene predictor N-SCAN integrates multigenome modeling and 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) modeling. In this article, we evaluate N-SCAN's transcription-start site (TSS) and first exon predictions both computationally and experimentally. The computational results indicate that N-SCAN is more accurate than any of the other tools we tested at predicting the TSS and the...

Eukaryotic mRNAs are monocistronic, and therefore mechanisms exist that coordinate the synthesis of multiprotein complexes in order to obtain proper stoichiometry at the appropriate intracellular locations. RNA-binding proteins containing low-complexity sequences are prone to generate liquid droplets via liquid-liquid phase separation, and in this way create cytoplasmic assemblages of functiona...

Previous findings suggest that 17beta-estradiol (estradiol) has a suppressive effect on TNF-alpha, but the mechanism by which estradiol regulates TNF-alpha expression in primary human macrophages is unknown. In this article, we demonstrate that pretreatment of human macrophages with estradiol attenuates LPS-induced TNF-alpha expression through the suppression of NF-kappaB activation. Furthermor...

In this issue of Cell, Prasanth et al. (2005) provide evidence that an inosine-containing RNA that is normally retained in the nucleus is cleaved within its 3' untranslated region following cellular stress. It is then transported to the cytoplasm and translated into protein. These findings suggest that the nucleus may store RNAs destined for translation that then can be released, as needed, in ...

Ribosomes that stall before completing peptide synthesis must be recycled and returned to the cytoplasmic pool. The protein Dom34 and cofactors Hbs1 and Rli1 can dissociate stalled ribosomes in vitro, but the identity of targets in the cell is unknown. Here, we extend ribosome profiling methodology to reveal a high-resolution molecular characterization of Dom34 function in vivo. Dom34 removes s...

Localization of mRNA has emerged as a fundamental mechanism for generating polarity during development. In vertebrates, one example of this phenomenon is Vg1 RNA, which is localized to the vegetal cortex of Xenopus oocytes. Vegetal localization of Vg1 RNA is directed by a 340-nt sequence element contained within its 3' untranslated region. To investigate how such cis-acting elements function in...

Recent studies have reported the identification of piwi-associated RNAs (piRNAs) in Drosophila somatic cells. Interestingly, these piRNAs derive from the 3' untranslated regions of a subset of transcribed protein-coding genes and, experimentation suggests, might control the expression of other protein-coding transcripts. Studies of additional organisms support the new pathway's presence across ...

In Drosophila, the role of telomerase is carried out by three specialized retrotransposable elements, HeT-A, TART and TAHRE. Telomeres contain long tandem head-to-tail arrays of these elements. Within each array, the three elements occur in random, but polarized, order. Some are truncated at the 5' end, giving the telomere an enriched content of the large 3' untranslated regions, which distingu...

Imaging mRNA with single-molecule sensitivity in live cells has become an indispensable tool for quantitatively studying RNA biology. The MS2 system has been extensively used due to its unique simplicity and sensitivity. However, the levels of the coat protein needed for consistent labeling of mRNAs limits the sensitivity and quantitation of this technology. Here, we applied fluorescence fluctu...